At the Center for Creative Leadership, we ask the leaders we work with around the world, “What are your three biggest leadership challenges?” We’ve analyzed more than 100,000 answers over the years, and we use what we learn to keep our programs and products innovative and relevant to the real work of real leaders, especially during turbulent times.
As we began reviewing the trend lines in leaders’ responses recently, we noticed some significant shifts in our U.S. database for mid- to senior-level leaders. Beginning in 2020, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were changes in the way men and women reported their challenges. In some areas, the pandemic has magnified the differences between the genders. But, perhaps surprisingly, it’s narrowed the differences in others.
While we acknowledge that gender is not limited to a male/female binary, the trends we analyzed reflect those who identify through our surveys as men and women.
Leadership challenges affecting men and women at different rates
In our data from 2020 and 2021, we noticed the following three challenges began affecting men and women in increasingly different proportions; that is, the gender gap is widening.
CHALLENGING BUSINESS CONTEXT: The challenge of delivering business results while operating in a difficult or changing business context
While there has long been a gendered difference in the rate at which men and women report this challenge — with more men reporting this than women — the gap had appeared to be narrowing. However, in 2020 that difference noticeably increased as COVID impacted leaders and their organizations. Over the past two years, men have reported “challenging business context” at about the rate they did pre-COVID, but fewer women are reporting this challenge — making this the largest gendered difference we currently see.
One possible contributing factor is the difference between the way COVID has impacted staff versus line roles. We know that across industries, men are more represented in line leadership, where often the immediate pressures of the business environment are felt first and strongest. Similarly, a higher proportion of women leaders are in staff positions, often one step removed from those front lines of revenue production (or loss), supply and labor management, etc.
We also know from our research that on-the-job learning from challenging assignments is critical to leader development. Women tend to receive fewer challenging assignments than their male colleagues, and those they do receive often either pose less challenge or form insurmountable “glass cliffs” that are more damaging to a career than developmental — hampering their ability to develop the breadth and diversity of experience needed to advance. Regardless of the cause, with fewer women reporting challenging business contexts during COVID, we are concerned about longer term effects on the development of women leaders.
CROSS-FUNCTIONAL INFLUENCE: The challenge of influencing without formal authority in order to coordinate efforts or advance an initiative beyond your own group
We started to see a small shift in 2019, with more women than men listing this as a top challenge, and we’ve seen that gap grow sharply in 2020 and again in 2021. More women are also choosing remote or hybrid work than their male colleagues, so we wonder if women are finding it more difficult to have those informal “hallway” conversations in which influence often occurs.
These findings are concerning, as we know influence is a critical competency for all leaders, and cross-functional influence is particularly critical for mid- to senior-level leaders. This type of influence is key for those seeking to advance, as they need to develop a broad systems perspective, understand interdependencies between their function and others, and mutually influence peers to lead together in cohesive ways.
STAFFING ISSUES: The challenge of attracting, hiring, training, motivating and retaining a talented staff
Historically, women have reported this challenge slightly more often than men, but the rates have been similar. However, in the COVID era, women began reporting it at a markedly higher rate.
This may relate to the higher proportion of women leaders in HR and roles where hiring and staffing are top priorities, putting more women on the front lines of staffing shortages. Or it may be industry-related, as women are more involved in the leisure, entertainment, health and education industries, which likewise took the biggest hits in staffing during the first 18 months of the pandemic.
As labor shortages continue to accelerate in 2022, and have expanded into all industries, we’ve heard anecdotally that all leaders are beginning to report staffing issues as a top challenge. It will be interesting to see whether the gendered gap that opened disappears into an overall increase in all genders reporting staffing challenges as a top concern.
Leadership challenges affecting men and women equally
In the COVID era we also noticed challenges that had previously affected men and women at different rates are now affecting them more equally — therefore closing the gender gap.
ADVERSE WORK ENVIRONMENT: The challenge of creating a more positive and efficient work environment.
Historically, more men than women have reported this as one of their top challenges. We’ve noticed a rapid realignment in 2020 and 2021. Women and men are now both reporting this challenge at the same rate.
The sudden move to a virtual and hybrid workforce, alongside seismic shifts in businesses due to COVID protocols, supply chain issues, labor shortages and regulatory changes, have impacted all adversely. Leaders recognize the toll of these disruptions on their workforce and recognize the need to create healthier and more adaptive ways for their teams to move forward with resilience.
PERSONAL LIMITATIONS and INEFFECTIVE INTERPERSONAL STYLE: Challenges related to overcoming a leadership inadequacy related to who you are as a person; and modifying your interpersonal style to be more effective in leadership relationships (two separate challenges)
These challenges related to personal growth have historically been reported by more women than men. But we’re seeing this gender gap close, with more leaders of all genders reporting both of these areas as top challenges.
What leaders did pre-COVID just isn’t working as well in the new context of virtual and hybrid work, complexity, and continuous change coming at them from all sides — the external business environment, the internal organizational environment and even from their personal lives.
Leaders of all genders are burnt out and stretched thin, struggling to make things work in a two-dimensional world of Zoom screens, accelerated timelines, shifting demand, broken supply chains and labor shortages — all from their home spaces where child- and eldercare, local restrictions and quarantines have added to the toll of disruption.
Ways L&D can help all leaders succeed
As L&D professionals you have the power to address these challenges and make a significant impact on your leaders’ — and your organization’s — success. Here are four ways to get started.
1. Provide core leadership development that holistically targets personal growth, resilience, self-awareness and vertical development.
Leaders absolutely need your help to build specific skill sets for virtual and hybrid teams. But they also need to grow their mindsets to lead through continuous disruption and face the complexity and interdependencies of their current reality. You have the opportunity to nurture their vertical development through leadership solutions that address whole, diverse, unique people.
2. Work with business leaders to determine the culture shifts needed to enable resilience.
Do your leaders have clear priorities and focused goals? Are there things that are no longer serving your business that they can let go of?
Help leaders develop clear, shared direction up and down the organizational ladder, align their work around priorities that will make a difference for your future, and let go of the rest. Leaders can only do so much on their own, but you have the opportunity to work with them to shift the organizational culture to be healthier and more resilient. It will increase their commitment and their ability to deliver results that matter.
3. Assess how your systems and processes may benefit some and burden others.
Some of the top challenges leaders face include navigating and leading within your larger organizational system. Your context here matters.
We know that women are choosing virtual and hybrid opportunities at a higher rate than their male counterparts and that they are more often primary caregivers in their roles outside of work. Take this into account as you establish business norms and operating procedures for the future. You’ll create an environment better suited for retaining and developing women leaders and a healthier organization for everyone.
4. Evaluate the way challenging assignments are delegated.
This is a key opportunity for leadership development, but it’s often overlooked, tending to become incidental or accidental.
We know that when women have equitable access to a variety of challenging assignments and the support needed to grow into that work successfully, it accelerates their development. Intentional programs that develop organizational mentors and sponsors who can help direct the right kinds of challenging assignments to women can make a significant difference, as can helping women to recognize the leadership learning potential ingrained in these assignments.
While there are interesting, and potentially powerful, differences in the rate at which men and women report each challenge, the bottom line is that all genders are experiencing all of these challenges. Everyone benefits from leadership development solutions that focus on helping leaders meet these demands. As L&D leaders, you have the opportunity to close the gaps and accelerate equitable opportunities for everyone in your organization.
